The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown was originally established
to honor white Americans who played Major League Baseball. It has chosen
to change it rules to include the world's best players, rather than keep
them ineligible due to race, birth country and MLB experience. It must continue
to do so to fulfill its mission.

They should elect Sadaharu Oh for the following three primary reasons:

1) The Hall of Fame would not need to change its mission from National to
International to elect him. We must acknowledge that in addition to Ohs
great achievements on the field, he impacted our culture and made outstanding
contributions to our National Pastime. He achieved international fame by
breaking the world home run record, thus capturing the imagination of players,
adult fans and aspiring boys in America. He inspired a generation of Japanese
youth, resulting in players like Nomo and Ichiro, who impact the MLB and
our culture. And, he directly impacted MLB. Steve Garvey said he learned
a lot from Oh. He was not alone.

2) Oh was banned from MLB just as the Negro League players were and he deserves
the same exceptions they were granted. Now that it is long after Oh retired,
Japanese players are still partially banned from MLB, because they are required
to wait nine years and in many cases ten years before they can leave Japan.
Remember that the MLB ban on blacks was not formal. It ended when the Brooklyn
Dodgers Branch Rickey bravely defied the will of the other fifteen
owners and objections from white players.

3) Major League Baseball now has international reach, no longer just for
white Americans (roughly 25% of all MLB players are born outside of the 50
U.S. states). And, due to Ichiros MLB success (for the sake of argument,
let's assume he continues to bat .320+ for 7 more years in the MLB and retires
after a lengthy 17 year professional career, including his 9 years in Japan),
it has become apparent that eligibility rules must be revised, to include
performances by foreign players in foreign leagues, regardless of any opinions
about Sadaharu Oh.. Those rules state that candidates need to play in the
MLB for at least 10 years to get elected under the current rules. Since Japanese
players must remain in Japan for at least 9 or 10 years before they can play
in the MLB, it is not reasonable to assume that such a player will last long
enough to qualify for the HOF. Must we make Oh wait until this inevitable
rule change is in place for him to qualify for consideration?

Let's make the rule change now:

1) The recent Japanese migration reduces the quality of the Japanese leagues
and hastens the need for the MLB to return some good will.

2) Electing foreign players to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown will boost
international interest in American baseball. Sadaharu Oh is a safe first
choice. The beneficial side-effect is that it leads to more new players in
the future (fans often play the games they enjoy).

3) Politically, electing players from foreign countries to the HOF in Cooperstown
demonstrates respect to players from leagues long disrespected in America.

4) Opportunity to enhance the prestige for current Hall of Famers by labeling
them the Worlds Greatest rather than Americas
Greatest.

The Case for Sadaharu Oh - at a glance Policy and Politics  whats keeping him out and why he
should be let in The Statistical Record - proving his greatness as a player The Subjective Record - what MLB players thought of Oh The Proofs - Oh was banned from MLB HOF Evolution  another rule change please :)Baseballs Greatest Foreign Players  the best thirty ever
Proposal where from here?

The Case for Sadaharu Oh

He sure hit me. He was a superb hitter. He hit consistently, and he
hit with power. - Tom Seaver

Sadaharu Ohs overwhelming qualifications...

Here is all you need to know about Sadaharu Wan-Chan Oh, to make
an informed decision about his qualifications:

He is the worlds all-time home run king with 868, achieving international
fame as a result. He won 9 MVP Awards, 18 Best Nine awards as the leagues
best first baseman, two consecutive Triple Crowns in 1973 and 1974, the first
9 Gold Gloves awarded in the last nine years of his career, and was a 20
time All-Star. He led his team to 14 Japan Series and won it 11 times, nine
of them consecutively.

Whats keeping him out and why he should be let in

Since Oh never played in the MLB or the Negro Leagues he is ineligible. A
ban on Japanese players prevented Oh from playing in the MLB. There are many
players, who were ineligible, and are now in the Hall of Fame.

Since the Japanese leagues were dismissed as inferior, the statistics accumulated
by its players were deemed suspect. The Japanese statistical record has not
been readily available to English audiences, hindering wide spread awareness
of Japanese players exploits. Those records are included in this report.
Sabrmetric methods of converting stats from foreign leagues into relative
MLB equivalents has only been recognized within the past 15 years or so.
Ohs converted MLB equivalents and are presented in this report and
show him to be HOF caliber. Recent successes by Japanese players in the MLB
have bolstered opinions. Hideo Nomo won the NL Rookie of the Year and MLB
all-star in 1995. Kazu Sasaki, followed up as AL Rookie of the Year in 2000.
Then, Ichiro Suzuki won the AL Rookie of the Year and MVP in 2001.

Since there may not be enough other foreign players qualified for the HOF,
it was not deemed worthwhile to expand the Hall to an international scope.
Oh qualifies under the national scope, so this objection is moot. But, had
he not qualified, make an exception for him. It would be unfair to Oh, not
to consider him for HOF standing, because he towers above the other Japanese
all-stars.Though it should be irrelevant to Sadaharu Ohs case, a list
of the thirty greatest foreign players is provided in this report. To be
sure, the future holds names too.

Sadaharu Oh Satisfies the Halls Stated National
Mission

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a not-for-profit
educational institution dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the historical
development of the game and its impact on our culture by collecting, preserving,
exhibiting and interpreting its collections for a global audience, as well
as honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to our National
Pastime. [www.baseballhalloffame.org]

Acknowledge that in addition to Ohs great achievements on the field,
he impacted our culture and made outstanding contributions to our National
Pastime

His international fame captured the imagination of players, adult fans and
aspiring boys in America.

He Inspired a generation of Japanese youth, resulting in players like Nomo
and Ichiro, who impact the MLB and our culture. [1977, NY Daily News] - As
the undisputed home run king of baseball crazy Japan, Oh swings the fastest,
meanest bat in the East. [He] is a genuine national hero and the
living idol to every Japanese boy old enough to say Yomiuri Giants,"
the name of his team."

He directly impacted MLB. Players, such as Steve Garvey (10-time all star
and 1974 MVP), learned from Oh through exposure in his 110 exhibition games
against Major Leaguers. "Power is important to me. I need drive; I need torque.
I learned a lot about torque from Sadaharu Oh. I spent some time with him
during spring training in 1971, and again in '75 and '79. He always talked
about the use of his legs as the single biggest asset to his power... 
[Garvey]

Adherence to the Halls Charter and to the mandate of its Leadership,
requires Oh be enshrined.

Through its mission, one of the National Hall of Fames stated commitments
is: Honoring, by enshrinement, those individuals who had exceptional
careers 

The Hall of Fame already displays a Japanese exhibit and includes Oh in the
500 Home Run Room. This signifies that the HOF acknowledges the
fact that Oh represents a significant part of baseball's history. Recall
that for a while, Roy Campanella, who admitted Josh Gibson was better than
him, was in the main room, while the non-MLB Negro Leaguers were relegated
to an exhibit in a separate room.

Through its leadership, Jane Forbes Clark, Chairman of the HOF said, "The
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has the unique responsibility of
preserving baseball's rich history and honoring its greatest heroes.
[from Forward of "Baseball As America]

Therefore, considering Ohs accomplishments on the field, and with regard
to his impact on American culture and our national pastime, it is not enough
to rely on the Japanese Hall of Fame to honor him.

Reasons to reconsider Oh for the Hall of Fame now

1) Due to Ichiros MLB success, it has become apparent that eligibility
rules must be revised, regardless of opinions about Oh: Candidates need to
play in the MLB for at least 10 years to get elected under the current rules.
Since Japanese players must remain in Japan for at least 9 or 10 years before
they can play in the MLB, it is not reasonable to assume that such a player
will last long enough to qualify for the HOF. Therefore, the eligibility
rules need to be revised, regardless of the case for Sadaharu Oh.

2) The recent Japanese migration reduces the quality of the Japanese leagues
and hastens the need for the MLB to return some good will.

3) Electing foreign players to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown will boost
international interest in American baseball. Sadaharu Oh is a safe first
choice. The beneficial side-effect is that it leads to more new players in
the future (fans often play the games they enjoy).

4) Politically, electing players from foreign countries to the HOF in Cooperstown
demonstrates respect to players from leagues long disrespected in America.

5) Opportunity to enhance the prestige for current Hall of Famers by labeling
them the Worlds Greatest rather than Americas
Greatest.

The Statistical Record

Theres no question hed have been a great player in the
United States, that he was a super talent. - Greg Luzinski

Batting statistics

Best known as the all-time home run king with 868 in his career. This mark
was 211 ahead of the next best Japanese total.

He was also first ever in runs (by 311), RBI (by 182), total bases (by a
whopping 547), SLG (by .043), and walks (by 915).

Ranking of career on base percentages in Japan was not available at the time
of this review. But, Ohs mark of .445 was likely first, too.

He led his team to 14 Japan Series and won it 11 times, nine of them
consecutively.

Mr. October look out! In Ohs whopping 77 Japan Series games, he belted
29 home runs. That is better than his regular season average. Clutch.

Stats versus MLB

The MLB teams Oh faced in these exhibition games had a combined .575 winning
record. Weighted to 162 games, Oh typically faced a team that was 92-70.

The games were played in Japan either after the regular season (October or
November) or during spring training.

Even against this strong representation of MLB teams, Ohs HR% was .074.
Using his career 9,250 at bats in Japan as a benchmark, he would have his
684 homers as a MLB player.

Note that larger MLB parks would reduce the HR total, but play against average
MLB teams offsets it somewhat.

MLB Projected Stats and the Five Most Similar MLB Players

Ohs regular season batting records were converted to MLB equivalents.
This conversion has Oh at 527 career MLB equivalent home runs, placing him
11th all-time. Here are the complete equivalent numbers and details from
Jim Albright's analysis:
http://baseballguru.com/jalbright/analysisjalbright14.html

Applying Bill James similarity scores to these projected MLB stats
and against all players with at least 300 career home runs in the MLB, Oh
was revealed to be somewhat similar to Eddie Murray.

Compared to Murray, Oh had more home run power and a lower batting average.
Oh was the better fielder as judged by his Gold Gloves.

Oh was vaguely similar to Mel Ott, Reggie Jackson, Frank Robinson
and Dave Winfield. All of whom, are in the Hall of Fame.

Applying Bill James Hall of Fame Standards method, Ohs score
is 57, which ranks him ahead of the average Hall of Famers score of
50 and well ahead of the average HOF first basemans score of 45.

Sadaharu Ohs fielding qualifications

The Japanese Gold Glove award was introduced in 1972. Oh won it the first
9 times from 1972 to 1980, the year he retired. Presumably, he would have
won it in the years before 1972 had the award existed.

Oh won 18 consecutive Best Nine awards as the leagues best first baseman
from 1962 to 1979. Now thats consistency!

Davey Johnson, the only man to have been a teammate of both Oh and Aaron,
said, You couldnt find a better [fielding] first baseman.
[Defords Sports Illustrated article, August 15, 1977]

The Subjective Record

What did MLB players of his time think of him? [Unless otherwise noted,
these quotes come from an appendix in Ohs autobiography.]

Tom Seaver: He sure hit me. He was a superb hitter. He hit
consistently, and he hit with power. If he played in the United States, he
would have hit 20-25 home runs a year, and whats more, hed hit
.300. Hed be a lifetime .300 hitter. He had tremendous discipline at
the plate. He knew the strike zone extremely well He could pull your
hard stuff, and you couldnt fool him off-speed.

Hal McRae: Oh had tremendous patience as a hitter . . . He had
good power. I dont know how many he would have hit here . . . start
with 20 (a year) . . . at least. He was a great all-star. Hed have
been a Hall of Famer.

Don Baylor: Oh could have played anywhere at any time. If he
played in Yankee Stadium, being the left handed pull hitter he is, I have
no doubt hed hit 40 home runs a year.

Frank Howard: You can kiss my ass if he wouldnt have hit
30 or 35 home runs a year and hit anywhere from .280 to .320 and drive in
up to 120 runs a year. The point being, he rates with the all-time stars
of the game.

Frank Robinson: Im sure he would have hit in the 30s
(of homers per year) and probably in the low 40s. . . . Thirty home
runs a year add up to over 600 home runs, and hed do that if he played
the same number of years here that he played there.

Don Drysdale: He would have hit for average and power here.
In a park tailored to his swing, theres no telling how many he would
have hit. . . . He was always ready for anything we threw him. We were all
impressed.

The Proofs...

The following evidence demonstrates:

1) Oh was banned from MLB

2) Long after Oh retired, Japanese players are still partially banned from
MLB

3) American baseball has become an international game

Japanese players were banned from MLB

In 1964, a young pitcher named Masanori Murakami, was sent to the U.S., to
get seasoning in the SF farm system. The SF Giants brought him up at the
end of the year and he pitched 9 games with a 1.80 era. This made him the
first Japanese player to ever play in the MLB.

So,the SF Giants decided to sign him for the following season.
But Japanese baseball officials objected, creating an impasse. With pressure
from the U.S. state department, the SF Giants agreed give up their rights
to him after the 1965 season.

He did well for the SF Giants in 1965, pitching in 45 games and compiling
a 4-1 record with eight saves and a 3.75 era.

At the end of the season he chose to return to Japan.

The de facto Japanese ban resumed as a result of this tense incident. No
Japanese player played in the MLB for the next 30 years.

Note that the MLB ban on blacks was de facto too, not formal.
It ended when the Brooklyn Dodgers Branch Rickey bravely defied the
will of the other fifteen owners and objections from white players.

Long after Oh retired, Japanese players are still partially banned from
MLB

From WWII forward, no Japan players came to the U.S.

Murakami broke the silence in 1964. When he returned to Japan in 1965, many
believed that he would be the first and only Japanese player to play in the
MLB.

But, in 1995, Hideo Nomo broke the Japanese ban by retiring and then coming
out of his retirement to play in the MLB for the Dodgers.

Why didnt Japan demand his return like they did with Murakami? There
were no contractual limitations limiting him anymore. Nomo was not well liked
by the Japanese owners before coming to America, because he tried to organize
a one day strike to protest the treatment of Japanese players. His 1995 success
made him Japan's conquering hero.

To protect themselves against further migration, the NPB instituted a rule
requiring players drafted in Japan to remain in Japan for up to ten years
before they can leave to play elsewhere. Gyaku Shimei -The Japanese draft
allows players to designate before the draft, which team he will sign with.
Under this scenario, he can leave Japan after ten years. When a player is
drafted without specifying a team he becomes eligible after nine years.

In 2002, about half of all minor leaguers were from outside of the 50 U.S.
states. This has driven the MLB ratio of foreign born players up every year.

In 2002, nearly 25% of MLB players were born outside of the 50 U.S. states,
representing 17 countries.

Players born outside of the 50 U.S. States make an big impact on the quality
of MLB. 128 of them were MLB All-Stars through 2001, winning six MVPs
and three Cy Young Awards just in the last six years:

The Hall of Fame has a history of evolution, and a pattern of including
the worlds best players, some of whom were ineligible at one time.
It has been willing to change, bend and rewrite its rules in the past to
best serve its mission

The original rule (1936) was that a candidate must have played at least ten
seasons in the majors and been retired for at least five years but no more
than twenty years to qualify.

§ To allow consideration for managers, umpires, executives, and players
not eligible through the BBWAA, such as, pre-1920 players and Negro Leaguers,
some of whom never played in the MLB, modifications were made.

§ Because CASEY The Old Professor STENGEL was ill, a special
exception was made to allow him early election (1966) without having to wait
the normal five years. He lived until 1975.

§ To allow Roberto Clementes to enter the HOF immediately after
his tragic death, the five year rule was amended (1973) to allow consideration
six months after a players death.

§ To keep Pete Rose out of the HOF, in 1991 an amendment
was added to say that Any player on Baseballs ineligible list
shall not be an eligible candidate.

§ To allow some players in the HOF, the twenty year rule has at times
been ignored.

To allow consideration for Sadaharu Oh, an amendment should be made adding
the words, or any national major league to the bit about the
ten MLB or Negro League seasons requirement.

§ Otherwise, make a special exception.

The evolution of rules for HOF eligibility, shows a progression of including
the worlds best players rather than keeping them Ineligible.

1936: Included first members, all were players and all were Caucasian (Ruth,
Wagner, Cobb, Johnson and Mathewson), by means of a pole of 226 members of
the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).

1937: Inducted first non-players; Connie Mack and Little John
McGraw as managers and Ban Johnson and Morgan Bulkeley as pioneers/executives,
by means of newly established 78 member Veterans Committee.

1939: Inducted first player passed up by the baseball writers by means of
the old timers committee (a.k.a., V.C.), Cap Anson.

1971: Inducted first African American, Satchel Paige, by means of newly
established Negro League Committee.

1973: Inducted first player born in a foreign country, Roberto Clemente.

1973: Inducted first players to not play in MLB, Buck Leonard and Josh Gibson.

1977: Inducted first player born in a foreign country and did not play in
MLB, Martin Dihigo.

Details on 18 Hall of Famers, who were once ineligible and played in foreign
leagues

The HOF has elected players, who played in foreign leagues.

As of 2002, there were 17 players, who made it based on careers outside of
the MLB.

The HOF elected a player (Martin Dihigo), who was born in Cuba and played
primarily in foreign leagues.

Eligibility limits will continue to be tested

Japanese players are required to play 19+ years in pro ball, rather than
10+, due to a partial Japanese ban. Ichiro, will test these limits.

Proof that the Hall of Fame is increasingly International
and has a history of choosing to include the worlds best players rather
than keeping them Ineligible

Dihigo was the first player, who was born in a foreign country and did not
play in MLB, to be elected to the National Hall of Fame. The HOF reversed
an earlier decision by President Paul Kerr (1976), that Dihigo was ineligible
despite, in Kerrs words,  a very impressive record.
A year later (1977), the HOF rethought the case and chose the path of inclusion
for this foreign player. Why not choose the path of inclusion for Oh?

Martin Dihigo was a likely the greatest Cuban player ever, proving himself
primarily in foreign leagues. Though he played in the Negro Leagues, he never
played on the American side in games against other countries

While his political beliefs are his own business, he was a Communist by his
own admission. This was evidenced political comments he made supporting rebel
leader, Fidel Castro during radio broadcasts in the 1950's.

This demonstrates that the HOF has already admitted a foreigner with politically
anti-American sentiment. As a result, it should lower resistance to admitting
other foreigners, who are stars in their respective national major
leagues.

The HOF will inevitably continue to make firsts in electing foreign
born players under diverse circumstances and will have to continue to change
its eligibility requirements to fulfill its mission

Inevitable Future; HOF Inducts first foreigner elected to the HOF without
ever playing on an American team (see Vladimir Guerrero case below)

Inevitable Future; HOF Inducts first player elected to the HOF without playing
for 10 years in the U.S. Major Leagues or Negro Leagues. (see Ichiro case
below)

Inevitable Future; HOF Inducts first player who was born in a foreign country
and did not play in MLB or Negro Leagues , Sadaharu Oh.

Proof that the HOF will inevitably continue to make firsts
in electing foreign born players under diverse circumstances

Vladimir Guerrero was born in Nizao Bani, Dominican Republic. He is one of
the growing minority of foreign born U.S. Major Leaguers.

He joined the Majors in 1996. Through 2002, the only MLB team he ever played
for the was the Montreal Expos.

If he remains in Montreal for his entire career, which must last through
the 2006 season, he will qualify for Hall of Fame consideration without ever
having played for an American team.

This would make him the first foreigner elected to the HOF without ever playing
on an American team.

How close is this to becoming a reality? Its inevitable that it will
happen for some player. If the Expos can afford him, they remain in Canada,
and Vlad maintains his numbers, it will be him.

Proof that the HOF will have to continue to change its eligibility
requirements to fulfill its mission

Ichiro Suzuki was born in Kasugai, Japan. In 2001, he initiated the migration
from the NPB to the MLB among non pitchers.

In his first U.S. Major League season, the perennial NPB batting champ did
not disappoint Japanese or American audiences.

§ Won the AL Rookie of the Year Award

§ Won the AL Batting Crown, batting .350

§ Most stolen bases in the AL with 56

§ Won the Gold Glove Award for Right field, although he has a CFs
range.

He played 9 seasons in Japan due to the partial MLB ban. Must he play 10
more seasons in the MLB to qualify for the HOF? Denial would be an outrage.
It would also discourage future attempts by players to abandon their national
major league in favor of the American one.

This would make him the first player elected to the HOF without playing for
10 years in the MLB or Negro Leagues.

Baseballs Greatest Foreign Players

The thirty best; based on various sources, including McNeil's Baseball's
Other Stars, using his All-World All Star Team. (Note: BOLD indicates
first team)

Special International Contribution:
Lefty ODoul, OF and Manager - Credited with initiating pro baseball
in Japan (1932). The first U.S. Major Leaguer to be elected by Japans
HOF (2001). Played in the inaugural MLB all-star game in 1933. MLB lifetime
batting average .349 in brief career.

Cristóbal Torriente, CF and LHP .352. Lifetime average in Cuba
and roughly .334 in the Negro Leagues. Great fielding range and arm. Led
in SBs 3 times and HRs 4 times. Batted .402 in 1916. C.I. Taylor, longtime
manager and Negro League executive, said, "If I should see Torriente walking
up the other side of the street, I would say, `there walks a ball club.'"

Masaaki Koyama, P  3rd in Wins; 320-232 record in Japan; 3rd in strikeouts
with 3,061

Sun Dong Yol, P - ERA ranged from 1.70 to 0.78 before he switched to relief
and led all Koreans in saves. Five-time leader in Ks.

Alejandro Oms, OF & RHP .351 lifetime avg in Cuba and roughly .325
in Negro Leagues. Won three batting crowns in Cuba and once led in SBs. Top
defensive Venezuelan OF in 1943. Played in championships for 4 different
teams.

Jose Mendez, RHP, Infielder and playing Manager  In 1909, he was 44-2
for the Cuban Stars (some games were against semi pro teams). Led the Monarchs
to 3 straight Negro National League pennants (1923-25) as a player manager.
His was 20-4, with 7 saves over that span. John Henry Lloyd said he never
saw a better pitcher.

In a nutshell

It is not necessary to change the Hall of Fames Mission from
National to International in order to accommodate
players, who did not play in America, as long as those players impacted our
culture and made outstanding contributions to our National Pastime, as Oh
clearly did. But, given the reality that American baseball has become an
international game, changing the official scope from National
to International is well advised.

Whether the mission remains National or changes to
International, establish a Baseball Hall of Fame Committee on
Foreign Baseball Leagues. Candidates are to have served at least 10 years
in any national major league from any foreign country and/or
the American Major Leagues. At a minimum, this addresses Ichiros
predicament of having to play at least nine years in Japan before he can
prove himself in America. At best, it allows for the consideration of the
worlds greatest baseball players, many of whom were not free to play
in America.

The first ballot should contain Sadaharu Oh.

In absence of this proposed new committee, make an exception for Oh.

Special thanks and credit are due to the following people:

Jim Albright - assembled nearly all of the numbers presented, which
he collected from various sources. Jim was also responsible for all of the
Sabrmetric calculations used. His calculations and logic were confirmed for
accuracy and presented to scores of baseball researchers before presentation
in this document. And, he inspired us all. See
Jim Albright's web page for
more info about Sadaharu Oh and Japanese baseball in general.

John B. Holway - a noted historian of the Japanese and Negro leagues,
served as a guide, and was the primary source for the Dihigo case. See
John B. Holway's web page.